Chiang Mai hospitals warned of worsening smog

[masuk]

A friend of mine returned to Australia with breathing difficulties. He had a good check-up and chest X-rays and his doctor told him to immediately give up smoking.

The snag was that my friend had never smoked in his life!

The city he'd been living in was Jakarta, and in 3 years there I NEVER saw pollution anything like the gunk/dirt/smoke that we're getting here in Chiang Mai right now.

As unregulated/unchecked diesel powered vehicles still operate here, along with the smoke pollution, it does not look good.

[Sviss Geez]

At least it gets talked about in Thailand:

This weekend over 5,000 people gridlocked London in a protest against Climate change.

According to friends living there:

Local traffic report said avoid central London, demonstration in progress. So I did.

There was a message on the bus stop countdown timer said buses werent running into central london due to a protest. Nothing more.

There was nothing in International News either

This is a bit of Thai seasonal smog, nothing to do with some London weirdos' (incorrect and alarmist) perception that there is "climate change".

[Sviss Geez]

A friend of mine returned to Australia with breathing difficulties. He had a good check-up and chest X-rays and his doctor told him to immediately give up smoking.

The snag was that my friend had never smoked in his life!

The city he'd been living in was Jakarta, and in 3 years there I NEVER saw pollution anything like the gunk/dirt/smoke that we're getting here in Chiang Mai right now.

As unregulated/unchecked diesel powered vehicles still operate here, along with the smoke pollution, it does not look good.

I think you'll find that "unregulated" diesel-fuelled vehicles operate not only in Chiang Mai but nationally and world wide, this has nothing to do with diesel.

[thhMan]

My backyard has bits of ash scattered about the place.

Its been happening for the past few weeks...

[Beng]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

[elgordo38]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Nothing will be done until the tourist numbers start to fall drastically. I pity the poor construction workers slaving away on all the numerous construction sites throughout the city they have to be loosing years off of their life span not that anyone gives a d*mn. These buildings when finished and occupied (maybe?) will only add more pollution. Its time that the powers that want to be get off of their collective ars*s and do something. Its the same old song and dance every year. Its just tourism tourism tourism at any cost. Songkran will still go ahead despite the critical water shortage it is just so sad that they cannot see the forest for the trees.

[Oziex1]

I have to admit to making an error in moving to Issan, I checked it out last year in the non smoke time looked like a great place to be, now I have to come up with a plan to live elsewhere for the duration of smoke and choke season.

[a99az]

The air here in the garden of England (KENT) is particularly nice just now. I had forgotten how nice it can be here and so glad not to be choking in Chiang Mai again.

[mango66]

Hi !

Best regards to all Expats which are living in the " so nice north " of Thailand ;

Enjoy the life there !!

[mango66]

I think we can all agree the smog in CM is unpleasant and dangerous.

Does anybody have any *concrete*, *constructive* suggestions about solutions?

If not, let's save everybody's time and do other things till it clears up -- like it does every year.

if YOU dont know what to do, than shut up !

1.) Vorbid any firing of ricefields !

2.) Reduce traffic

3.) Get cars to European standard on exhausting particles and CO2 !

4.) Controll the Industrie serious, ( not by corr. RTP ! );

and you reduced 2/3

and of cause: Main reason is Myanmar ! So put all Myanmars in Jail !!

[Thailand]

Hi !

Best regards to all Expats which are living in the " so nice north " of Thailand ;

Enjoy the life there !!

I think you were just put at the bottom on many peoples invite list.

[roo860]

This subject is a waste of time, nothing changes and never will.

[Sparkles]

I think we can all agree the smog in CM is unpleasant and dangerous.

Does anybody have any *concrete*, *constructive* suggestions about solutions?

If not, let's save everybody's time and do other things till it clears up -- like it does every year.

If you had been following all the comments you would know that concrete and constructive comments have been made on many threads on the site and others.

* Firstly educate the people that light fires that its wrong for their environment and the general health of all people

* Fine them ,the law is already in place.

* Have helicoptors with water buckets on stand by that can put out a fire shortly after it starts.

* Get the army involved in locating and putting out small fires ,they have very little else to do.

These are solutions ,these fires are not rip roaring bush fires with 100 km winds that we have in my home country.No lives or dwellings are in danger from putting out these spot fires.

There is just not the will from Government or local officials to do anything but talk the talk and wait for the rains to come and then say next year will be different.

You may think its just a passing irritation ,its not its a serious health problem

[Mapguy]

Some details here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783391-smoke-smog-dust-2015-chiang-mai/page-10#entry9169314

[poweratradio]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Boggles the mind why they don't just put the fires out which they claim are illegal and I believe there is a rat reward to finger the fire starters.

[connda]

Yep, if Prayut could do anything to change the status quo, it would be to put teeth into enforcement of anti-burning (arson) laws in Northern Thailand. However, it will probably be a bumper mushroom season!!! So Whiskey Tango Foxtrot folks!

[connda]

Yep, if Prayut could do anything to change the status quo, it would be to put teeth into enforcement of anti-burning (arson) laws in Northern Thailand. However, it will probably be a bumper mushroom season!!! So Whiskey Tango Foxtrot folks!

...and visited the local amphur hospital today. Chest Xrays were the main course on today's menu. Not for us, but man, a lot of locals in the Khun Tan Valley with respiratory issues. Hack! Cough!

[Johpa]

What are they burning?

They are burning a little bit of everything. Sometimes just grass and weeds in gardens or rice stubble on padi lands. Sometimes it is smaller plots that have been left fallow and they are burning bush and bamboo. But often on the Thai side of the border they are burning the vast acreage that was once forest and small plots that are now vast corn growing enterprises funded by the CP Group. There are areas where the corn fields, and often blue PVC pipes, now extend over the horizon: e.g. east of Phrae, east of Mae Sariang, north of Mae Chaem. The burning is being done by all the groups up north, mostly poor farmers eking out a subsistence. Those profiting, well that is mainly one family in Bangkok.

[Jonmarleesco]

And still the government dithers over ordering farmers to cease slash and burn ... and this is a government that doesn't need to concern itself with votes.

[masuk]

A friend of mine returned to Australia with breathing difficulties. He had a good check-up and chest X-rays and his doctor told him to immediately give up smoking.

The snag was that my friend had never smoked in his life!

The city he'd been living in was Jakarta, and in 3 years there I NEVER saw pollution anything like the gunk/dirt/smoke that we're getting here in Chiang Mai right now.

As unregulated/unchecked diesel powered vehicles still operate here, along with the smoke pollution, it does not look good.

I think you'll find that "unregulated" diesel-fuelled vehicles operate not only in Chiang Mai but nationally and world wide, this has nothing to do with diesel.

1) diesel is included in the mix that we're breathing. It's probably the most dangerous of them all, as the fine particle are carcinogenic..

2) There are a good many cities where diesel powered vehicles are not permitted. Go over to Guangzhou and check it out. Even the motor bikes are all electric now. They know they have a pollution problem and are doing something about it. If the guys in charge made the time to visit here, things might happen.

3) I used the word 'unregulated' specifically because vehicles are meant to have exhaust emissions checked at each annual registration.

4) They are unregulated here for the obvious reason is that it's worth their while NOT to do so. I've watched the bay where they go through, and the emissions tester is not used. Haven't you ever had the joy of following a song teaw?

[ricardofel]

Before I left Chiang Mai 18 months ago the governor had a great idea........he wanted businesses and people to "donate" money to help stop the pollution. He was going to hand out fire extinguishers from the donations. What a grerat idea...yes????

Very healthy air where I live now! Certainly don't miss the incompetence and the constant incompetence and the smog.

[Beng]

Seminars and meetings will not solve this problem.

[David Walden]

For decades it is the same thing year after year. They get money to hold a meeting and talk about it and then it's beer o'clock and nothing is ever done or will ever be done. All they organise is the food and drinks for next year's meeting.

Very true. But the smoke is not just coming from burning in Thailand. It is also coming from Myanmar, as the wind right now in Chiang Mai is coming out of the west. Have a look at this link from NASA of fire hot spots for the last 72 hours:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemap/?x=98.99062499999997&y=19.415625000000006&z=7&g=g&v=2&r=4&i=nw&l=ad,ct

Another interesting observation from that map is that there is really not much difference between the amount of hot spots in Myanmar compared to Thailand, even with all the Thai government talk of mitigation plans.

[khwaibah]

8 am in the morning and I'm 888 km from Chiang Mai in Kap Choeng just south of Surin, GPS 14.4742819816, 103.60152716. The sky and air is like an L.A. smog alert. Smoky and gray.

[David Walden]

I've been in Chiang Mia from West Aus on holidays now for 6 weeks, I have already have been unable to feel any wind from any direction during this time except on last Friday when the Thai Airforce had a helicopter over the River Restaurant next to the Iron Bridge whilst I and others were having breakfast. It was a show to appear to be doing something...what a joke!!!,

[bubba]

Clear, blue, partly cloudy skies with great visibility here in BKK this morning.

Ironic, isn't it?

[chooka]

Seminars and meetings will not solve this problem.

maybe not, but the free food and booze is great.

[DividendGuy]

We are in Chiang Mai now. We have decided to leave here because there is just too much haze and polluted air. We were even thinking about living here permanently, but that idea is out of the window now. This is not a place to even consider for long-term residency because of this problem and we don't think it will get settled soon so, we are leaving here and have giving up on our Chiang Mai plans. You can't live here permanently when there is a major problem like this and I feel sorry for the other retirees who will suffer through this.

[laislica]

At least it gets talked about in Thailand:

This weekend over 5,000 people gridlocked London in a protest against Climate change.

According to friends living there:

Local traffic report said avoid central London, demonstration in progress. So I did.

There was a message on the bus stop countdown timer said buses werent running into central london due to a protest. Nothing more.

There was nothing in International News either

This is a bit of Thai seasonal smog, nothing to do with some London weirdos' (incorrect and alarmist) perception that there is "climate change".

Pity you missed the point of this post.

Re-read the first line!

[DividendGuy]

We would love to live here if and when the local Thai government does something about the haze, but I am not holding my breath so we will wait and see if this problem ever gets fixed. I am not willing to spend a lot of money to buy an apartment and make the move here while there is an air pollution problem and try to suffer through because of it.